Liquid adding apparatus for the disinfection of water closets, urinals, and other similar places



' June 29, 1954 J. GROSSMANN LIQUID ADDING APPARATUS FOR THE DISINFECTION O CLOSETS, URINALS, AND OTHER SIMILAR PLACES Filed May 10, 1951 INVENT R ATTORNEY Patented June 29, I954 lease LIQUID ADDING APPARATUS FOR THE DIS- INFECTION OF WATER CLOSETS, URINALS,

AND OTHER SIMILAR PLACES Joseph Grossmann, Zurich, Switzerland Application May 10, 1951, Serial No. 225,574

Claims priority, application Switzerland May 12, 1950 4 Claims.

Various adding liquid apparatuses have already been proposed for the disinfection of water-closets, urinals and other places of that kind. However, these did not give full satisfaction because they distribute some addition liquid to the total quantity of flushing water, so that the greater part of this addition liquid or auxiliary liquid is lost.

The present invention relates to a process for the disinfection of water-closets, urinals and other places of that kind, according to which one adds an addition liquid to the flushing water. This process differs from the known processes by the fact that one controls the outflowlng of the addition liquid from a reserve chamber, by the storage during the flushing operation, of a part of the flushing water in a storage and mixing chamber, and by the fact that one lets the water stored in this mixing chamber and enriched with addition liquid, flow in the flushing pipe, at the end of the flushing operation.

The invention also relates to a liquid adding apparatus for carrying out the process, and which comprises a reserve chamber for the addition liquid, provided with an outfiowing duct, fitted with a valve controlled by the flushing water. This adding apparatus differs from the known devices by the fact that the storage and mixing chamber is provided with an intake and discharge canal fitted with an obturator and intended to be connected with the flushing pipe, and by the fact that a float arranged in the said storage and mixing chamber controls, on the one hand, the outflowing duct valve of the reserve chamber and, on the other hand, the .obturator of the intake and discharge canal of the storage and mixing chamber.

An embodiment of the liquid adding apparatus for carrying out the process is represented diagrammatically and by way of example in the attached drawing.

View 1 is a View of a water-closet installation fitted with the liquid adding apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a detail View, partly in cross-section and at greater scale, of the flushing liquid taking.

Fig. 3 is an axial cross-section of the liquid adding apparatus taken along line III-III of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a top view of the apparatus, its cover being removed.

The installation represented on Fig. 1 com prises a tank I for the flushing water, connected by means of a flushing pipe 2 to a bowl 3. This tank is fitted, for controlling its emptying, with a hand operated device, not represented .on the drawing, but of standard and known type,

A pipe 3 connects the flushing pipe 2 to a liquid adding apparatus 5. This apparatus comprises two chambers 6 and 1 arranged one above another and consists of three main parts is to it. The part 8 containing the chamber 3 is screwed onto the part 9 which contains the chamber '1. The third part is constituted by a cover closing the chamber 1.

A gasket I I is provided in order to achieve a water and air-tight closing of the lower chamber ii. The latter is intended for storing part of the flushing Water flowing from the tank l during the flushing operation. The upper chamber l is intended for receiving a concentrated liquid which has the following properties: disinfecting, germ killing, absorbing bad smells and perfuming the air. By adding other active substances, it is possible to obtain an addition liquid presenting still further auxiliary properties.

A nipple l2, pointing downwards, is rigidly fixed to the bottom of part 8 of the apparatus. This nipple has an inside part i3 and an outside thread Hi. This nipple is connected to the hushing pipe 2 by a pipe 4. The end 0;" the latter, projecting inside the flushing pipe 2 (Fig. 2) is closed by a wall [6 and provided with a large orifice 11 opening upwards, and with a smaller orifice H3 opening downwards.

A non-symmetric float is arranged within chamber 6. This float is situated at a distance a, from a wall of the said chamber 6 fitted with a window 20, in order to provide for inspection as well as a free mixing space. Directly above this free space opens the outflowing duct 22 of chamber 7 which goes through the bottom 2! of the upper part 9 of the apparatus. This duct is fitted With a seat 23 for a valve 2:3. The valve 25 is fixed to the lower end of a rod 25 having enlarged upper cylindrical portion which is slidably guidedin a tube 26 and said enlarged upper portion is articulated on a pawl 2?. For this purpose, the rod 25 is provided with a horizontal diametrically machined slot 28 which receives the pawl 27 and which pawl is connected to rod 25 by shaft 29 operating in slot 3%: of the pawl. Moreover, a. stud 3i rig-idly fixed on the upper enlarged portion of the rod 25 moves in a longitudinal slot 32 of the guide tube 25 and prevents relative rotation of the valve 24. The pawl 21 is articulated by one of its ends to the inside wall of the upper part 5 of the apparatus, in such a way as being capable, on the one hand, to rock around a horizontal axle 33 and, on the other hand, to be angularly displace-able around an axle 34 disposed perpendicular to the axle so. A spring .35 tends to bring back and to keep the 3 pawl 21 in its normal position (represented on the drawing) defined by a stop 36.

The free end 31 of the pawl is bent at right angle and its edge 38 is cut obliquely towards the top. The float i9 is provided with an operating shaft 39, guided perfectly vertically in a casing 1G and fitted at its upper end, emerging from said casing with a support 4| having an adjustable position. This support carries a finger 42 having an adjustable position, of which the end is conical. The bottom 2| of upper section 9 is further provided with a guiding finger 43 obliquely arranged in relation to the operating shaft 39. lhis finger 43 is engaged in a notch 44 made in an angular guide 45 rigidly fixed on said float 19.

At the lower part of the float l9 and in line with the operating shaft 39, is fixed valve member 46. This obturator, situated at a well defined distance from the lower wall of the float, is of such size that it is capable of going through the port i3 with a very small play.

The working of the liquid adding apparatus is as follows:

As soon as the user brings in action the emptying device of the tank I, flushing water flows through the flushing pipe 2 into the basin 3. A part of this water falling in the opening I! of the pipe 3, is forced by the action of the water stream into the storage and mixing chamber 6. However, as soon as some water enters this chamher 6, the float i9 is lifted and the conical finger lit is displaced upwards. Simultaneously, the float iii, and therefore also the finger 42, are angularly displaced in the direction of arrow A. This angular displacement is provoked by the guiding finger 43. The conical finger exerts on the end of the pawl 21 a push directed towards the top, and simultaneously slides along the lower edge of its bent end 31. Thus, the valve 24 is lifted from its seat 23, but falls back again on the latter as soon as the conical finger has been displaced by an angle sufiicient for releasing the bent end 3'1 of the pawl 21.

During this short duration of opening of the valve, a few drops of the concentrated liquid contained in the reserve chamber 1 flow through the duct 22 and fall in the storage and mixing chamber.

Water continuing to accumulate in this cham-- ber provokes whirls which automatically ensure a correct and homogeneous mixture of the addition liquid with the water stored in this chamber 55. The greater the quantity of water stored in chamber 6, the larger the displacement of the float towards the top, so that the obturator 46 soon places itself in the port [3 and practically closes the latter completely. Consequently, no more water can practically enter chamber 6. The elements of the liquid adding device remain therefore in the above described position until the action of the water stream flowing through the flushing pipe 2 becomes insufilcient to oppose a water flow through the opening ll under the action of the pressure of the water stored in chamber 6. Now, this is only the case when tank 5 is practically empty. Thus, at the end of the flushing operation, the water stored in chamber ii and enriched with some addition liquid, flows through pipe 6 and openings l1 and [8 into the flushing pipe 2. The larger part of this water enriched with addition liquid, remains in the bowl 3 and acts as a disinfecting, germ killing agent, absorbing bad smells and perfuming the air.

The emptying of chamber 6 provokes the lowering and the return to angular rest position of the conical finger 42, so that the latter comes in mesh with the oblique edge 38 of the pawl 2L The weight of the float therefore provokes the escapement of this pawl 21 by angular displace ment of the latter around the vertical axle 34 against the action of its return spring 35. Thus, after complete emptying of chamber 6, the finger :32 and all the elements are again in the position represented on the drawing.

By adjustment of the support 4| and of the conical finger 42, the contact between its conical part and the bent part 31 of the pawl 21, is changed, so that it is easy to exactly adjust the number of drops of the concentrated liquid due to fall in chamber 6 during each emptying of tank I.

The number of distributed drops, as well as the water level reached in chamber 6, can be checked by means of the window 20.

This liquid adding apparatus therefore operates entirely automatically when the flushing device of water-closets or urinals is actuated.

The quantity of addition liquid used is very small, for l or 2 drops of concentrated liquid are usually sufficient to give the desired properties to the water stored in chamber 6. The result is that the reserve of concentrated liquid is suflicient for a duration of 4 to 6 months.

Moreover, one of the great advantages of the described liquid adding apparatus is due to the fact that it comprises a non-symmetrical float, because the drops of concentrated liquid flowing out by the duct 22, fall directly in the water stored in chamber 6. On the contrary, in the known adding apparatuses, the drops of concentrated liquid fall on the float, so that they reach only the water contained in tank i after a long duration of dripping.

In addition, in the described apparatus, the number of drops of concentrated liquid distributed at each flushing operation is independent of the duration of this operation, which offers also great advantages.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for dispensing an addition liquid to the flushing water of closets and the like comprising a water tank, a flush pipe connected to the tank, a storage and mixing chamber connected to the flush pipe and flooded by a portion of the water flowing in the pipe from the tank, a float arranged in the chamber and buoyed by the water flooding the chamber, a valve member controlled by the float and on a predetermined upward motion thereof blocking the connection between the pipe and chamber, an operating shaft fixed to the float, means on the chamber guiding the rod for lengthwise motion and rotation, means secured to the chamber and rotating the float during upward motion in one direction and during downward motion in the other direction, a reservoir for the addition liquid arranged adjacent the chamber and receiving the rod and having a valve seat in its bottom communicating with the chamber, a second valve member normally engaged with said valve seat, operating means connected to the second valve member and engageable by the operating rod upon upward motion of the float to disengage the second valve member from its seat and releasing the operating rod after a predetermined rotation of the rod and float whereby a portion of the addition liquid is dropped through the valve seat upon disengagement of the second valve member therefrom into the water of the chamber prior to the downward motion of the float.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 and References Cited in the file of this patent wherein the float is of generally cylindrical shape. UNITED STATES PATENTS 3. The apparatus according to clann 1 and wherein the float is of generally cylindrical shape Number N Date and the shaft is eccentrically fixed thereto. 5 580,208 Cahlll 1897 4. The apparatus according to claim 1 and l447289 f Man 1923 wherein the rod includes an adjustable laterally 1,873,403 Hlggms 1932 extending adjustable finger and the operating means is a slotted lever fulcrumed on the reser- FOREIGN PATENTS voir for swinging in a horizontal and a vertical 10 Number Count y Date plane and the second valve member carries a pin 274,474 Switzerland Apr- 5 passing through the slot. 

